Sliding doors can be beneficial on test chambers being used to test cars and small planes.

A FULL RANGE OF RELIABLE TEST CHAMBERS

Associated Environmental Systems has a full range of walk-in chambers. Whether you are storing many small products on carts, creating a controlled workspace for research and design, or if you need to drive large vehicles in for testing, at AES, we’ve made them all.

Prefabricated, tight-tolerance environmental walk-in rooms that are ideal for large or oddly shaped objects and workspaces with tight environmental controls. With a history of building long-lasting durable environmental test chambers and creating large-scale walk-in rooms with precise control and reliability, be assured that you will be able to test anything from a full car to 10,000 cell phone units.

Depending on your temperature and humidity requirements and the load, the walk-in rooms can be installed using a removable panel system or as part of a more permanent structural build.

STABILITY WALK-IN CHAMBERS

When products need to be tested or stored in a constant environment, stability chambers will replicate such conditions.

Stability chambers are meant to run constantly for long periods of time at a consistent temperature with or without humidity.

These steady-state chambers are electronically configured to meet several governmental regulations and test requirements in industries such as electronics, healthcare, food and beverage, packaging, life science, and more. Chambers are always factory set and configured to meet your specific test requirements, and a service team member can calibrate the chamber to ensure acuracy.

Below are common sizes manufactured at Associated Environmental Systems in Acton, Massachusetts. We are known for building custom stability chambers which meet our customers specifications with the same manufacturing lead times as standard chambers.

WALK-IN PERFORMANCE CHAMBERS

Performance chambers are used for iterative testing where conditions fluctuate.

Chambers are available in more than two dozen sizes and can be combined with many power packages. Below is a small sampling of our most common chamber sizes with associated power packages to help you understand the performance options available to you. The matrix allows you to choose by size or by performance needs.

Features

Panel Build

You gain most flexibility with self-supported, panel-construction, walk-in chambers as they allow for free-standing, self-supporting units that are cost-effective and efficient. Panelized construction allows the installation to fit through most doorways as it is assembled on-site. Panel thickness, flooring, and door size are interchangeable to meet your environmental testing needs; and there are several options that allow you to get the ports and viewing-windows, and accessibility you are looking for.

Panel construction made of a high-quality, polyurethane-injected core with a polyurethane frame for a highly-dense, 2.5 pounds per cubic foot, substrate that is 101 millimeters thick. With an R value of 32, these chambers are best for temperatures ranging from -65°C to +85°C (-85°F to +185°F) with relative humidity as high as 85%. We do offer custom higher-temperature(up to 150°C/302°F) panel chambers.

Structural Build

When you require extreme temperatures and saturated humidity rates your testing is more suited to structural build construction. Structural walk-in rooms are welded, one-piece units assembled with steel making them optimal for heavy or over-sized product loading and high humidity. Because of the solid steel construction, you also get the added benefit of long-term durability. Structural walk-in rooms are advantageous for speedy temperature change rates, high humidity, and explosion resistant applications.

In high-humidity conditions where increased pressure is present, a welded-steel structural frame interior is required. Under these reinforced conditions, temperatures from -73°C to +538°C (-100°F to +1000°F) can be sustained. And relative humidity can range from 10-95%.

Structural build chambers are always custom products and will not increase delivery time, but they do require more planning and engineering design time to create the plans and drawings followed by customer approvals before manufacturing can begin.

Control System

There are three Watlow controller options for walk-in chambers.

The Watlow EZ-ZONE PM controller offers easy functionality and is ideal for single-function, steady-state operation, a set it and forget it type controller.

Watlow's F4 controller is ideal for multi-step ramp and soak operation. Controlled with 6 discrete buttons and four-line, 20-character LCD display, the F4 allows you to write profiles to automate steps and events at the chamber. Add AES|XChange to remotely start, pause, stop, and monitor your product via live graphing and data storage.

Our most popular controller, Watlow F4T with AES|XChange is the easiest way to manage your walk-in chamber. This state-of-the-art control system gives you easy operation and flexibility. With an intuitive, user-friendly touch-screen interface at the chamber or remotely, you can quickly program profiles for multiple testing situations.

Meanwhile, AES|XChange has a browser-based dashboard allowing you to visually build profiles, monitor processes, and control the chamber from your desk, or remotely on your laptop or tablet. Your IT security team will be happy that your chamber is not a security risk on your network because we built it on a microprocessor architecture with secure firmware and we do not use Windows or Linux-based controller. Our published API utilizes a standard REST-Like JSON API which is easy to communicate with. We provide Python script examples.

Our test engineers will program profile setpoints for you at the factory to ensure you are up and running as soon as installation is complete.

AES|XChange Dashboard

The AES|XChange Dashboard is a remote, network-based method for controlling your walk-in chamber

Network securely

Monitor test cycles from your desk or remotely

View data in real time

Pause, stop, start, reset remotely

Lock and unlock operation

Allow multiple users six levels of access

Never before has a controller been so intuitive and easy to use. The unique dashboard display makes remote operation and data logging accessible to all users. Increase efficiencies by integrating AES|XChange into your current process management system.

Circulation System

All AES walk-in environmental test chambers incorporate forced air circulation which uses external heavy-duty motors with internal cooling fans, protectors, and stainless steel shafts. Stainless steel squirrel cage bowers circulate the air, all mixing is accomplished with a plenum placed to create airflow patterns to accommodate your product size and arrangement within the room. Internal or external air plenums and horizontal, vertical or a combination of both are offered. Customizing the plenum space like this creates an evener distribution of air, closer temperature control for rooms with modest live loads and airflow, and where noise is a consideration with people working within the room.

DISCHARGES

Horizontal airflow (left) results in very even cross flow of air, leading to good conduction with the test product surface. Vertical flow (right) results in more dynamic airflow which better mimics the multiple air speeds encountered in the natural world.

Heating System

Ceramic electric heaters are designed and custom-made for AES environmental chambers. These heaters have incredibly fast response rates and are assembled to be controlled independently ensuring the right amount of heat is maintained for your test application. Ceramic heaters also have long lifespans lowering your downtime and maintenance/repair costs. Your profiles will run with high accuracy because our uniquely separate instrument controls for air and humidity control. Together, the team of low-watt-density resistance heaters allows for various ranges and provide the fastest change rates.

Refrigeration System

AES modules use only Copeland compressors, a leader in the refrigeration industry. The scroll and discus compressors are hermetically and semi-hermetically sealed for low maintenance and longer run-times. The performance of sealed compressors increases energy savings, reduces noise, and lowers carbon footprints. Scroll compressor design allows for variable load demands of the room and can operate continuously in cooling mode and a with a full range of evaporating capabilities.

Air cooled or water cooled units can be installed on-top, behind, beside, or remotely to meet your space requirements. Remote units can be placed outdoors on exterior walls adjacent to the walk-in units to save prime laboratory real estate and create better working conditions for employees working in close proximity to an environmental chamber.

Humidity System

The vapor generator is a closed steam generator built in-house for your chamber’s requirements. This means they are sized to fit the chamber’s size. This translates to quicker steam generation and faster conditioning of the air in the workspace. The humidity range on most test chambers is 20% to 85% +/-2% RH (Relative Humidity). The range can be extended to 5% RH with the use of an optional dry air purge. Steam Generator Systems are best at achieving high-temperature/high-humidity conditions, where it is critical for the RH in the workspace to stay consistent.

Installation Services

AES is happy to work with local moving and rigging companies and within local building codes to safely and effectively install a product testing chamber. For large walk-in models, loud and spacious condensing and compressing units may be installed outside the building or on the roof to decrease decibels produced by the chamber and save space.